Lecturers will be teaching their colleagues on how to delivery lectures to their students, how to communicate, how to conduct better research and how to access EU funds, according to University of Malta rector, Alfred J Vella.

“I want students to gain the most out of their time at university and I want them to have the best learning experience. Whilst a certain level of commitment and responsibility is expected from the students, lecturers need to undergo training as well to be able to communicate better and deliver better lectures,” Vella told Xtra Sajf host, Saviour Balzan.

The 66-year-old chemistry professor was elected rector in March 2016, and took over from his predecessor, Prof Juanito Camilleri, four months later.

In sharing his vision with Balzan for the university, Vella said he wanted to see more investment in research, more space made available for labs and more equipment purchased.

“What’s a university that doesn’t conduct research?” he asked, as he lamented of the sometime haphazard manner that exams are organised.

Asked about the quality of students the university is producing, Vella said there were no doubts about the abilities of the Maltese graduates: they were good and are immediately absorbed by the working world. However, Vella admitted that students should also be helped in developing certain generic skills which would make them “transferable” from different sectors.

For Vella, the Maltese however need to learn how to be better communicators, how to become more analytical and how to use skills more wisely.